The actors' union Equity has announced a pay agreement to support soap stars during the Covid-19 pandemic, following the shutdown of productions including Coronation Street, EastEnders, and Emmerdale.
Under the deal, cast members under contract on affected shows will receive monthly payments while filming is suspended. Equity stated that the payments either meet or closely approach the benchmark set by the government's wage support scheme.
John Barclay, head of recorded media at Equity, said: 'By securing financial protection for artists now, we go some way towards safeguarding a vibrant future for the industry when this crisis is behind us and production can resume.' He thanked Equity deputies and staff for their efforts during the challenging time.
The union emphasised that many actors and workers on productions are not paid significant sums, and it had pushed hard for more, but settled on what was considered the best possible result in the difficult economic climate.
